Biography

Renée O'Connor was born in Houston, Texas, to Walter and Sandra O'Connor (now Wilson), and raised in Katy, a Houston suburb. She attended Taylor High School and the Houston High School of Visual and Performing Arts. Renée has one older brother, Chris.

Renée appeared in commercials, including one for McDonalds, a feature film called Night Game (1989), and some work for The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) (aka "The Mickey Mouse Club) in 1989. She also made guest appearances on TV shows such as NYPD Blue (1993), before starring as "Deineira" in the Hercules TV movie Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994). She caught the eyes of executive producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, who cast Renée in the 1994 film Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995). Soon after, Hercules' sister show, Xena: Warrior Princess (1995) was launched, and Renée was cast as "Gabrielle", Xena's trusty sidekick.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: [email protected]

Reneé O'Connor made a name for herself when she resided in Auckland, New Zealand, playing the role of Gabrielle, Xena's trusted sidekick on the popular series from 1996-2001. The scene stealing role created a huge worldwide fan base, one still active in countless websites dedicated to the actress and this signature series.

She then moved on to launch her own production company - 2002- ROC Productions. Her first independent production under the company is the romantic comedy, Diamonds and Guns which was released on DVD in January 2008. She wrote, directed, and produced the award winning short film, Words Unspoken in 2010. In 2017, Renee produced her second feature film, Watch The Sky, a Science Fiction Family film, which is available online through world wide distribution with Breaking Glass Pictures.

Prior to her breakout role, Reneé lived in Texas and began her professional film career at the age of 17, starring in the serial Teen Angel, a regular feature on the Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club. Other credits include the Disney film, The Adventures of Huck Finn, with Elijah Wood, and television movies such as Follow the River, with Ellen Burstyn, Danielle Steele's Changes, as the daughter of Cheryl Ladd, co-starring in the second Rockford Files reunion movie, with James Garner, and co-starring in Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, with Anthony Quinn and Kevin Sorbo.

While raising her two children in Los Angeles, since 2001, Renee occasionally starred in several independent films, including Ghost House Pictures' Boogeyman 2, opposite Tobin Bell; The ScyFy Channel's Monster Ark, opposite Tim DeKay; Alien Apocalypse, opposite Bruce Campbell; Beyond The Farthest Star, from Pathlight Entertainment; and the highly acclaimed, A Question Of Faith, from Silver Lining Entertainment, which screened before Congress.

In addition to her film and television roles, Renee has continued crafting her passion for acting and directing with professional and community theater groups including Encore, Shakespeare By The Sea, Little Fish Theater, and as a favorite, performing as the role of the 'Nurse' with the Southern Shakespeare Company's production of Romeo and Juliet in Tallahassee, Florida, with her son, Miles, who performed as 'Romeo'.

In October 2019, Renee started the House of Bards Theatre Company, producing an intimate and intense version of Macbeth, at the Grand Annex, in San Pedro, California, guided by visionary guest director, Michael Ritchie, (Southern Shakespeare's director of Romeo and Juliet). Over 200 high school students read the play and then experienced the professionally produced performances. After a brief hiatus due to COVID19, Renee relaunched the House of Bards Theatre Company in 2022, producing and directing William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, and the stage adaptation of George Orwell's 1984.

Renee enjoyed collaborating as a director with Encore Theatre Group, in 2021, as she brought the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast to life on stage at the iconic Warner Grand Theater and the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. She will be directing again for Encore in the Fall of 2023.

Reneé's talent extends well beyond the big screen or the small screen. Additionally, she is a talented artist and has auctioned off paintings for charities as well as to help finance projects under her production company.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Official Bio